Water, Sanitation, & Hygiene

Project d'Alimentation en Eau Potable et Assainissement (AEPA)

Location: Madagascar

Donor: African Development Bank

Duration: 2005 - 2008

The goal of the AEPA was to supply water and improved sanitation to at least 700 villages in rural southern Madagascar. The core components of the AEPA included: the provision of drinking water, sanitation and watering troughs; to support capacity building of communities through community mobilization and training, and institutional support. Direct beneficiaries included over 125,000 villagers in the Districts of Ihosy, Iakora et Ivohibe, and the Betroka.

Between June 2005 and 2008, MCDI trained 50 community outreach workers in participative community mobilization and health promotion. MCDI collaborated with other organizations implementing the project, such as hydrogeologists, drillers, and pump installers, to plan construction activities affiliated with the project. As part of the baseline assessment, MCDI teams visited all 1,320 villages in the project area to determine which villages were eligible and willing to participate in the project. Ultimately, of the 1,097 villages that were eligible to participate in the project, 1,096 elected to participate. The MCDI teams then formed water committees and implemented health and hygiene promotion activities in the villages.

Of these villages, about 700 successful wells were drilled and pumps installed; MCDI teams trained villagers to manage their water points. MCDI also implemented a pioneering study of the villagers’ capacity to pay for water and sanitation services.

In addition, MCDI teams promoted improved sanitation, and collected over 4,000 requests for improved latrines. MCDI outreach workers from the USAID-funded “Santenet” and Family Planning projects active in the project zone were trained to reinforce health and hygiene promotion.